Woods and water sheltered me as a child in my tiny corner of the world. In the woods I could hide under a fortress of vines or scale down a ravine. I could hear the crunching of leaves under my feet or smell the sweet musk of wet earth. I could find a caterpillar on the back of a green leaf.

I let him be.And he became something beautiful that I never saw.

Across the gravel road I could step into the glossy-clear lake and press my toes into sand and shells and rocks. I could twirl around slicing my hands through the water as schools of minnows darted back and forth all together like a collective soul. I could float or merely sit by the shore and think vast thoughts or nothing at all.

My siblings and I would have to come in during storms even though we didn’t want to. Through the screened porch we watched lightning smack down and illuminating the sky like a signal to pay attention. The wind whipped up the water making foamy waves and the lake became a black sea.

And we watched.We watched it be.

Author Bio:Colleen Wells has used writing since childhood as a way to understand herself and the world around her. She recognizes it as a tool for healing and connecting with others. Her memoir, Dinner With Doppelgangers - A True Story of Madness and Recovery is an example of this. Colleen has worked in helping professions including teaching and doing activities with elderly populations. She holds degrees in English and Creative Writing, and enjoys mentoring high school students who want their own stories heard. She has blogs on both of these sites: www.colleenwells.comwww.dinnerwithdoppelgangers.com